Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Congrats Jairo Beras…if that is your real name. Which it almost certainly isn’t.

Uh, oh. This could get ugly. One source in the Dominican Republic has reported that The Next Big Thing in Latin America, outfielder Jairo Beras, has agreed to a $4.5 million deal with the Texas Rangers, and the signing raises questions. Big questions.

The Rangers had been linked to Beras for a long time. He even wore a Rangers cap during a showcase for prospects from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela earlier this month. But the issue is this: His birthday was officially recorded as Dec. 25, 1995, and kids who just turned 16 aren’t eligible to sign.

The Rangers haven’t been heard from on this, so it may just be a misunderstanding. But it looks like he’s going to claim he was born in ’96, not ’95—an interesting twist on the normal age controversies in Latin America.

This could be the rare case where a player says that he is actually older than his listed age, not younger. There’s a huge benefit to Beras, as it would give him a chance to sign before the new international signing limits kick in this summer.

This is exactly the sort of mess that has caused a lot of people to say that an international draft—still being studied by Major League Baseball—is untenable.

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If he is using a new date of birth, Beras could be in trouble beyond MLB. In April 2011, Beras represented the Dominican Republic in an international tournament in Barquisimeto, Venezuela. At the tournament, Beras was also listed with a Dec. 25, 1995 date of birth, with one roster listing his name as Jairo Veras (scouts from other organizations confirmed that they are the same person).